Mercy
by PaperMoons
Summary: Oneshot fic.  Angelus makes a decision.  A much much darker version of how season 2 could've ended.


Title: Mercy

Author: me :)

Disclaimer: none of it's mine, belongs to Joss Whedon and stuff

Summary: One-shot fic. Angelus makes a decision. A much much darker version of how season 2 could've ended. (my probably really bad attempt at darkfic if you didn't guess XD)

Timeline: AU in season two BtVS

Spoilers: Up to 'Innocence"

Rating: R for mention of character deaths, rape, violence.

Feedback: it's like chocolate, so R&R please :D

* * *

It was amazing how easy it had been. All it had taken was some mind tricks with the help of Dru and some snapped necks. It was cake. And she never even saw it coming.

Angelus stared at Buffy's naked body crumpled in the corner of the mansion's basement. Her wrists were shackled to the wall above her head with her arms and hands hanging limply. Blood ran down from four small holes on her pale neck. He could make out the bones in her body sticking out as if she was a skeleton instead of the Slayer. But, no, she wasn't the Slayer anymore. She hadn't been for a long time.

Angelus thought back to the ways he had tortured Buffy before and after he'd stripped her of her powers. Buffy had been physically strong, probably stronger than he was, but her loved ones weren't. They were weak, sniveling humans who couldn't fight for themselves. It amazed Angelus that Buffy had managed to keep them alive for so long. It had taken Angelus all of two seconds to kill each person who she was closest to. Her friends, her Watcher, her mother. And then all he had to do was watch Buffy break.

Spike and Dru both thought he was crazy for being so obsessed with Buffy. Not that he really cared what they thought. He didn't know why he was drawn to her so much either, but he knew that he wanted to see her at her worst, most broken state. He'd had some fun dragging out the deaths of the people she had been close to. Making her wonder who would be next and when.

Angelus had always left the corpses as presents for Buffy. Spike and Dru went hunting during the nights, but he preferred to watch Buffy as she found the bodies. But sometimes he felt like there was something missing as he watched Buffy's face fall a little bit more each time.

When finally, there was no one left except herself, Buffy had gone nearly insane, but she was strong enough to keep herself from going over the edge. She had gone after Angelus with a vengeance, wanting him dead no matter what the cost. But Angelus had already foreseen it. In fact, he'd anticipated the moment when Buffy would fight him, but instead, would find herself helpless.

Angelus knew all about the Cruciamentum ordeal that the Council had prepared for Slayers for their eighteenth birthdays. He'd known vampires before who saw the ordeal as a perfect time to drink a Slayer's blood before she could stake them. Angelus himself thought it cowardly to do it, but then again, who said vampires played by the rules?

Taking Dru on a trip to England, Angelus had found the house where Travers, the Council's leader, lived. Dru had easily tricked Travers into telling them where the Cruciamentum drugs were kept with hypnotism. Travers' corpse was found drained of blood the next day, but nobody suspected that the murderers would want the drugs.

When Buffy had come a-knockin', Angelus simply stabbed her with a syringe filled with the drug. Buffy, not knowing what had happened panicked as her strength ebbed and Angelus had knocked her out with a casual swipe of one arm.

Angelus remembered when Buffy had woken up shackled against the wall. She'd tried to pull the chains out of the wall, but her strength was gone because of the drug. It had amused him to see how helpless she was. From then on, Buffy had been the only thing important or even worth anything in Angelus's unlife.

At first, Angelus had experimented with physical torture, raping and beating her, but it soon felt meaningless and bored him. Buffy barely lived in her body anymore. She was still Buffy, but the only thing she wanted then was death. Life was cursed for her ever since she had found Angelus's first "gift."

Angelus then remembered that Buffy's love was even stronger than her physical strength had been. He spent his time slowly thinking of ways to lead to Buffy's pain. So he pretended to be Angel.

Angelus had congratulated himself on his plan. Buffy immediately clung to her last tiny sliver of hope of happiness in her life. When "Angel" became Angelus again, it was as hurtful to Buffy as it had been the first time she discovered that Angel was gone forever. This was the pain Angelus had wanted, but he still felt like there was something missing. Something that he craved.

Angelus watched as Buffy slowly regained consciousness from her spot in the corner. Her eyes were empty of emotion as she fixed a stare on Angelus. He stared back into her eyes, still wondering what it was that was missing. She felt nothing but pain, he'd gotten what he wanted, hadn't he?

He thought back to memories from the year before. Watching her laugh with her friends as they walked back home from a night of Bronzing. He smiled at the memory, but immediately wiped his smile off his face. How could he love her laugh better than her pain? It was like he was turning into Soul-boy. He almost shivered at the thought.

Angelus looked back at Buffy, who had her eyes closed and her head tilted against the cement wall behind her. He could tell she was gathering her strength for the next round of emotional torture.

When was the last time he'd seen her happy? He had an urge to give her happiness instead of the pain that always seemed empty now. But she would never be happy again, not when she could remember everything that had happened to her.

Angelus wondered what would happen to Buffy after she died. Would she go to heaven, if there was such a thing? For one evanescent moment, he hoped she would. Maybe then, he himself would finally feel whole.

He quickly crossed the room to where Buffy sat on the floor against the wall and lifted her up roughly into standing position, slamming her back against the wall. Buffy eyes snapped open in surprise. She had expected him to pretend to be Angel first. She always craved the moments when he acted like him, even though she knew it wasn't the real Angel. Her Angel.

Angelus gritted his teeth and wiped away a traitor tear from his face as he made his decision. He'd never been merciful before and no one could ever know about this, his moment of weakness and what some people might call love. He wasn't capable of the love Buffy deserved, but he could give her the one thing she wanted.

"Close your eyes."


End file.
